Monday, July 27, 2009

Israel asks Holland to stop funding Breaking the Silence


"Israeli group “Breaking The Silence” issued a report accusing Israel’s Foreign Ministry of endangering democracy after Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, published a report stating that the ministry had asked Holland to freeze funds to the group.
Harry Knei, Israel’s ambassador to the Netherlands, held a meeting last week with the director general of the Dutch Foreign Ministry, and complained to him about Holland funding the group.

Breaking the Silence is an organization of veteran Israeli soldiers. It collects testimonies from soldiers who severed in the occupied Palestinian territories during the second Intifada.

It stated Sunday that Israel’s Foreign Ministry is carrying out a ‘Witch Hunt’. The group managed to collect 30 anonymous testimonies. It said that the Ministry is conducting a dangerous act by trying to silence the voices of the veterans as they are addressing the Israeli civil society. It also said that the Israeli army never denied the testimonies it collected from the soldiers, and that such a position from the ministry will only strengthen the stances of the soldiers who testified and are not willing to be exposed.......

The Foreign Ministry ordered an internal investigation after learning that the Dutch embassy donated 19.999 Euro to Breaking the Silence in order to help it prepare the 2009 report which elaborates on the Operation Cast Lead offensive carried out by Israel against Gaza earlier this year. The report was released earlier this month......."

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